An Arsonist's Lullaby
by bellabitchlestrangee
Summary: There was once a time when Magick plagued the people of the world. Sirius, genetically engineered Demon of Hell, has another job and isn't it a sweet one. Modern!AU oneshot. Wolfstar.


_**A/N:** Omg. This is like the longest oneshot ever and it was really hard deciding if i should chop it up into smaller chapters or not? But one shots make better birthday presents bc this fic is dedicated not only to Sirius Black, but also to **hellolust** who shares a birthday with him! (You better believe them two is twins). I know I'm like super late but I have had a busy busy couple of days! I'm a huge fan of her works so I really recommend you read them bc she writes some awesome marauders and Black family fics._

 ** _Warnings:_** _Nope, not giving you warnings bc that spoils the story. It has dark undertones. Read at your own discretion._

* * *

 ** _All you have is your fire_**

 ** _And the place you need to reach_**

 ** _Don't you ever tame your demons_**

 ** _But always keep 'em on a leash_**

 _There was once a time when Magicks were acknowledged and feared by the people. Witches were burnt and exorcisms were performed and legends were told of half-human beasts that would rape and pillage the innocent people. So kings and leaders made out to make their lands pure, to purge them of mythical existence. But fire must be fought with fire. The powers of the people created their own beasts, spirits more demonic, more lethal, than anything to have ever walked the earth plane. These Gifted, genetically engineered angels of death, pets of kings were unleashed on the earth to destroy the Dark Creatures of Hell._

 _After relative peace was restored to the lands, and the powers of the people believed the demons of the world to be extinct, the Mortal folk stopped believing the stories of Magick to be true._

 _The Gifted ones grew smart. They kept the peace of the Mortals but, for the ill-fated Dark Creatures, there would be no salvation from the Blacks._

* * *

Remus scoffed at his pen. This was the third time it had ran out and he knew that if he scratched furiously for long enough, the ink would find his page once again. He scribbled over the numbers he had written as blue ink spurted over the scribe marks and, crossing out the chicken scratch of his half-inked shopping list, he re-wrote the last three items.

The bell sounded as the door swung open into the back room of the shop, where he sat.

"You alright babe? You're looking exhausted." Lily said as she moved a large recipe book off of a shelf and onto the table between them.

"Just dandy," he said flatly. "We need to shop for the bakery if you wanted to make those cherry pinwheels."

Lily's head flicked up from the book. "Of course, I'd completely forgotten about them. Here, let's find them, I bookmarked the page. They didn't look _too_ hard but neither did the lemon tarts and look how well they went."

Remus smiled at the memory and dabbed at the page to try and draw out the next bullet point.

Remus was the only child of Hope and Lyall Lupin, a nurse and high school teacher respectively in Solihull, and he'd had a happy childhood. However after a car accident involving the death of his mother, Remus had moved away from the bitterness of the relationship between him and his father and moved into a flat in London to get a job and pay for his rent. He had wanted no more than to just live out his life quietly by the day and didn't see any more than just that ahead of him when he had bumped into Lily.

They were quick to rekindle their college friendship and two years later Remus was sending most of his time in her much roomier and cosier flat, trying to keep Lily's mother's bakery open after her parents had moved away to live out their retirement in Cornwall.

Lily and Remus had been quite happy to buy and run the bakery with a few other people that were employed by them and considered friends of theirs. They were comfortable now, the pair of them and Remus was only reminded of his terrible sorrows once a month now. Other than that, he was happy.

"Yep, you're right. Says here we need cherry jam and I don't think we have any cherries." Lily said, scanning the pastel-coloured page in front of her.

"We could just buy cherry jam." Remus replied, looking around him for a different pen. He found one in a pot on the small table in the corner of the room. He walked back to his seat, ripped off a new page from the jotter, licked the nib of the pen and started re-writing his shopping list.

Lily looked up at him. "Buy the jam? Remus." She breathed, clearly horrified. "Remus we aren't that tarty place down the road. We _make_ the jam, Remus." She shook her head. "Buy the jam!" She muttered under her breath.

"'Tarty'." He said flatly. "Did you just call the patisserie on the corner 'tarty'?"

She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "We've had a long day, okay. Now really isn't the time for puns."

"Maybe you shouldn't make them then." He said, a smile on his face. "Why don't you just tell me what we need and I'll write it down."

"Right well, we're good for eggs, flour, butter and the lot. I need to check the fridges for cream but I'm pretty sure we have enough." She said, checking items off with her fingers. "We need to order more yeast, but we need that in bulk anyway. Other than that, cherries is all we need."

"You don't want to order a crate of them?" Remus said, penning down the items she had listed off.

Lily shook her head. "No, I just want to buy small amounts until we learn how to make them shelf-worthy." She stood up from the table in the centre of the room and stretched her hands high above her head. "I'm gonna lock up the till and such," she said, pulling dark red hair free from her bun, "you should go home, Rem, get some sleep."

He got up and pinned the note paper to the notice board on the wall. "Yeah I reckon I need a bath. I smell of cake." He bent, kissed her on the cheek and headed for the door, deaf to the tinkling of the bell that sounded his departure.

* * *

Sirius took the slip of paper from his father. The parchment was dry and rough, cut into a neat rectangle so that it could be burned at a moment's notice, lest it fall into the wrong hands.

"It's a routine job, Sirius." Walburga said shortly from behind Orion's chair. Sirius looked up at her, glancing from her pretty grey eyes to Orion's. "No different from the last."

Sirius glanced down to the paper in his hand, smeared brown with dried blood. He lifted it to his nose and sniffed again. There it was, that smell. It was earthy and metallic, reeking of petrichor in a way that Sirius could only describe as russet.

To any _normal_ person, it would likely smell of nothing, perhaps something like a faint, faded iron at best. But Sirius wasn't normal. He was a Black. And with his genetically-engineered nose, he could smell it all, he could smell the dirt and the venom. Me could smell grime of lycanthropy. It was what he and his family had been doing for centuries, millennia even.

The Blacks were an elite concoction of some ancient king, mad with power and fear, and they were by no means _normal_ at all. The first difference between the Black and the ordinary man, was that they were not born from descendants, honed from ancient nobility – they were created. The first to be created, Phineas Nigellus Black, was truly a beast, and from him, more beasts were spawned in an attempt to settle the non-magic folk of old. The Blacks were a project of sorts to hunt those that hunted the people, to settle the score between the weak and the wild.

But in the 21st Century, non-magic folk did not need settling because, as far as they knew, there were no _other type_ of people. But Sirius still had a job. The Blacks never stopped being beasts. They never stopped hunting because the Dark Creatures never really stopped existing.

"Why me, though?" Sirius asked, arching a sleek, dark eyebrow. "Surely one of the others would find a 'routine job' more thrilling?" He seemed hurt.

"Well if you haven't forgotten, your eldest cousin is away on a job overseas and your other cousins are quite occupied with a tracking a group of Fey." Walburga snarled, spitting the last word from her teeth like dirt. Her lip was curled in annoyance and Sirius could see he was pushing it.

"Then I'm sure Regulus would be _quite_ suited to a 'routine job'." He sat back in the chair opposite his father's desk, idly looking over the bloodied scrap of parchment in his hand, feigning little interest.

His mother huffed, her chest starting to swell with strained anger. "I'm not exactly sure of what you expect me to say." She said, jaw clenched.

"Something like _'Oh please, Sirius, darling child. This job is just too hard. We are at a loss. It is too hard for Andromeda even and your Gift is invaluable to us.'_ " He said, mocking the voice of a swooning woman. He put his hands together in mock prayer. " _'We need you, darling child. You're our only hope—"_

He was cut off by the slamming of Orion's fist into the desk. Sirius watched the coffee mug rattle and the wood split from where the fist lay against the table, the hairline split winding its way toward Sirius slowly before stopping.

"You speak to me like that again, boy, and I'll have your heart." Orion said, his voice low and dangerous.

Sirius was thoroughly quieted, no longer feeling quite safe enough to speak out again. It was uncommon to see such a loss of control of the Gift from anyone in his family, but it was almost unheard of to see it come from Orion Black, the patriarch senior of The Syndicate; Sirius took his father's words to heart, heavily doubting any emptiness in his threat.

Orion lifted his hand from the desk, leaving a print of blood behind. He flexed his hand slowly, withdrawing his long talons from the heel of his hand. Sirius watched the claws crawl back into his father's nails before flicking his gaze back up to meet the steel eyes in front of him.

"The scent." Walburga said quietly. She too seemed somewhat shaken by the outburst and was doing a very good job at hiding it.

Sirius looked down at the coppery stained parchment once more and brought it to his nose. He took a good strong whiff. The earthy texture was there again, like gravel trodden into wet dirt. The petrichor was there too, like the minerals of the earth were floating into his nose as sparks from a bonfire might try to reach up and touch the sky. But there was something else too. Coffee and… cake?

Of all the Blacks currently living, Sirius had the best sense of smell. Like feral beasts, the whole family was well tuned to all of their senses, especially the inhuman ones. For Bellatrix, the bloodlust and ability to kill was the strong suit. For sweet Narcissa, the seduction is where she lay her efforts down. These were all things that the entire family could do individually but some were certainly more attuned to particular areas of the Gift than others.

Catching scent was something Sirius had always particularly excelled in and he could certainly see why it was he whom his parents chose. This smell was faint, exceedingly so, and it was quite apparent that this particular Lycan had been blending into the Mortals for a while now, and doing it quite successfully.

"This one's been going under the radar for a long time." Sirius said, quite interested. "How did you manage to get the essence if you can't find him?"

Orion absently rubbed at the heel of his hand where his skin was slowly and painfully knitting itself back together. "Unimportant." Orion said. "You've been given a job. Dispose of the beast or we'll have someone to do it for you." It was possibly the most he had heard his father say in months. Orion's toxic silence was powerful enough to influence The Syndicate and quite enough to shut Sirius up.

"No one needs to do it for me. I'll do fine, I always do." Sirius lifted his chin in dignity and a slow and savage smile worked its way onto his face.

* * *

Remus finished powdering a mocha mug, placed it in a saucer next to the plated lemon tart and looked up at the middle-aged woman on the other side of the till. "That'll be £5.30, please." He said, his voice warm and pleasant for the customers.

"How you holding up there, sweet thing?"

Remus turned to see Lily and Dorcas, bringing out fresh trays of buns for the glass top. "Could be better, I suppose. My back's giving me hell."

"I'm telling you, Rem" Dorcas said, straightening up, "I've got a whole box full of lotions and potions that could really help if you just gave them a try."

He shrugged slightly. "I'm fine, it's my shoulders really. Slept funny last night."

Dorcas tutted and shook her head, walking back into the kitchen. Lily said nothing but watched him closely. "You sure you haven't hurt yourself or something?"

"Well I've obviously hurt myself at some point." He said, trying to dodge the line of enquiry. He turned back to the espresso machines and started wiping down the nozzle, avoiding her eye.

She continued to watch him. "And you're sure you've slept funny."

He sighed and turned to her, smiling. "You're right. It was Liam Neeson. I took his daughter." He deadpanned.

Lily huffed. "You make it hard to want to be concerned for you." She said, trying to hide a smile.

He chuckled to himself as she walked away, seemingly satisfied for the time being. The truth of it was Remus had neither kidnapped Liam Neeson's daughter nor slept funny on his shoulder. What he could feel was the deep healing scar tissue that ran up his right shoulder blade and onto the base of his neck.

The last full moon had been a week prior, and it had been a rough one. He had transformed in his room as he always had, and to keep the bloodlust satiated without killing his roommate and closest friend, he had turned on himself, just as he always had. Lily knew of Remus' secret, of course – a confession had been drawn out of him on an emotional night with ice cream and blankets from Lily – but he liked to keep himself to himself, certainly refusing any help from her when the moon rose, round and full.

Lily never liked to leave him to his devises and over the years, she seemed to know that sometimes just a coffee and an affectionate note said a lot more than smothering him. However, there were nights where they did talk. A lot. Where Remus would tell her about what growing up a Lycan was like.

He was fine, as always. His wounds would heal quickly enough and though his scars never disappeared, they faded considerably and that was enough for him. He wiped down the counter and idly watched the six or so patrons sitting and eating and chatting at tables.

Remus turned to rearrange the cupboards behind him, bringing large white mugs to the front of the shelves for easy reach, and putting the sugars and syrups back to where they belonged on the surface top behind him.

The work day seemed to pass by fairly quickly though, and Lily sent Remus home as early as he would allow. He was certainly grateful.

He closed the door to the shop behind him, and walked out onto the cobbled side streets of London. He lifted his umbrella high over his head against the rain that bounced on the stone around him and started heading toward his flat building just five blocks down. The walk was nice, just the odd car passing him by, and he felt at ease with just the patter of the rain accompanying him.

He heard a noise behind him: a shoe slipping on the wet cobbles. He turned to see if they were okay – no one there. Remus suddenly had the feeling that he was being watched. His skin prickled, a niggling at the back of his brain suggesting to him that it wasn't just the rain with him in that street.

* * *

Sirius stared down at his scrap of paper. The smell was all he needed and he didn't need it anymore. This is what his ancestors were built for, what he was bred for. Another job, his next kill.

There it was – the smell. Russet seemed to take on human form as well as scent in this man. Sirius raised his eyebrows in what he saw from the alleyway.

He could see the beast quite clearly from his vantage point. The Demon hidden away under this tall and skinny exterior. Dark honeyed hair flopping into his face. Freckles, tanned skin, long lashes – but Sirius wasn't fooled - all heavy-knit jumpers and suede shoes.

All Sirius needed was an audience with the Creature. His strong jaw, ebony elbow-length curls and cheek-bones to cut glass were irresistible, but it was the eyes of a Black that lured them in. Gun-metal grey that shone like liquid silver beneath epicanthic folds when he chose. He was a stunning creation, he knew. Seduction was how the Blacks fed.

The Creature looked Mortal right now as the moon was waning, but Sirius made no mistake. This was a Demon. He didn't seem dangerous, they never did. And if Sirius was honest with himself, he would have probably concluded that they weren't. At least, not this one. _If anything he's quite adorable._

Wait. _What?_ Some pesky part of Sirius had spoken up. _No. He's not cute, I am. I'm adorable – he's not._

The Beast's hands were long-fingered and dexterous – sturdy. That horrible little part of him wondered what it would be like to have those hands on his hips. To touch that long exposed throat in a way that was certainly not ripping open the jugular to get to the heart. _What a throat._

Sirius balked at what he had just thought and, eyes wide, lost his footing and slipped off the cobbles. He righted himself against the alley wall.

The Werewolf turned and looked to where he was, eyes scanning the darkened alley for the threat.

Sirius breathed a sigh of relief after the Lycan turned and continued hurriedly down the street. He rolled his eyes inwardly. This one was going to need to be dealt with sooner rather than later if Sirius was to report back to The Syndicate, Werewolf teeth in hand.

* * *

Remus hadn't slept properly the night before. He stood now behind the counter top serving customers, making coffees, plating tarts, and taking money without really taking in a word that was being said to him. He was okay of course. He hadn't lost sleep exactly, the sleep was just… not right. He wasn't rested, he knew that for sure.

He had felt spooked walking home after working the previous evening. Remus had no idea why but the intense prickling across his scalp screamed for him to run from that darkened alley. He was not an animal to follow every instinct blindly but he had heeded the advice of his body and walked from the street as quickly as his legs would allow.

He shivered just thinking back to that awful feeling.

Remus handed sixty-nine pence change to the elderly woman across the counter from him and bade her an "enjoy" with a friendly smile before turning to the next customer.

His stomach dropped into his gut at the sight of the man before him. He was sinfully pretty. Shining dark hair fell in loose curl to his elbows, stone grey eyes under monolids, skin like porcelain and cheek bones to cut glass. He was short and lithe and when he smiled two pretty little canines pointed downwards. He was dainty and powerful and his face made Remus want to sit down and take a fan to his burning cheeks.

 _Christ._

And yet, it wasn't all the images flying through his head of what else this man might be able to with his mouth than smile that made Remus' stomach heavy and chest tickle, as these sensations weren't telling Remus to crush that mouth to his as his brain was. They were telling him to run.

"Hi, I—ah shit." Remus blinked in surprise as the man dropped almost the entire contents of his wallet on the floor beneath him. "Okay… fuck." He said as he bent down to start retrieving the coins from the tiled café floor.

"Oh, let me help," Remus said, moving around the counter to pick up the coppers and silvers.

The man started chuckling. "I can't believe this. Sorry." He carried on laughing, "I don't believe my hands have ever made me look so stupid."

Remus took a look at the man's hands. _I'll bet they haven't._

Remus straightened up and headed back to the counter before he was pulled back by a hand around his wrist. His heart stopped. The man opened his hand, placing coins into his palm before closing it softly again. "Cappuccino, please." The man said, smiling sweetly but he didn't let go of Remus' wrist.

Remus stared at the man before him, in all his beauty and could not, for the life of him, figure out if this was right. He felt danger near, but nothing so angelic in face could ever bring danger, surely. Remus almost swayed slightly where he stood when the man ran his thumb over the veins of his inner wrist.

He pulled away and moved back behind the counter. "Cappuccino." Remus said, "anything else?"

"I'm sorry." The man seemed somewhat contrite. "Did I make you uncomfortable? I didn't mean to." He was no longer smiling, instead worrying one of those gorgeously full lips.

Remus blinked. "No," he smiled reassuringly, "not at all."

The man nodded, more confident again. "I'm glad," he paused, looking to Remus' name tag, "Remus." He smiled again. "I'm Sirius." He said, extending a hand.

Remus looked down at a hand so elegantly carved and chiseled that he wasn't sure if it was proper to shake it or kiss it. "Hi," he settled for shaking, "so nothing else with the cappuccino?"

"No, cappuccino is fine, thank you." Sirius said politely.

Remus counted the money out of his hand into the cash register before turning around to prepare the espresso and foamed milk. He moved about the space, glancing back to where Sirius stood at the counter every now and again, and thinking that no, of course there was no danger here. He was actually rather sweet looking when he was nervous and biting his lip.

He carefully passed the coffee over the counter top, placing a small napkin and spoon on the saucer. He smiled, "enjoy."

"Don't be such a sourwolf."

Remus' eyes widened as looked up into that sweet and nervous face once again.

"You're shirt, underneath the apron. It's Teen Wolf, right? Don't be such a sourwolf?" Sirius smiled prettily, eyebrows raised.

Remus didn't reply, blinking in surprise still.

Sirius grimaced. "Sorry. I'll just uhh—" he picked up the cup and saucer and started in the direction of an outdoor table.

"Stydia or Sterek?"

Sirius turned, a smile gracing his features once more. "Sterek, any day."

Remus chuckled.

* * *

"You little, fucking idiot!" Rodolphus stood from where he was seated in an upstairs drawing room of Grimmauld Place.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "Back in the country two hours and already an argument," she mumbled.

Andromeda chuckled quietly from beside her on the sofa. "I wouldn't hold out for a warm Aunt Walburga hug, if I were you." She muttered back dryly to which Bellatrix smiled.

Immediately after finishing his coffee earlier that day, Sirius had stood, placed a tenner on the table in the form of a tip and made his way down the street before catching a taxi home. He'd entered the house to find his cousin and her husband were back from their 'get-away' in Romania and straight away Sirius knew he would be interrogated on his latest job.

The Lestranges were an old family of the Syndicate, high standing among its Lords and renowned huntsmen. The two brothers, Rodolphus and Rabastan, were certainly not Gifted as the Blacks were but they had an inherited talent, an ability to track and hunt – an ability that was certainly not limited to the primitive forest animals whose heads were plaqued and hung in Monsieur Lestrange's office. They tracked more than just spring deer.

"You all said this was a hard job to begin with- that's why I was asked!" Sirius said, his voice rising.

Rodolphus fumed, his fists opening and closing with his anger. "You're a fucking prick, you know that?" Sirius thought that though he was a hunter, he could certainly see why the Syndicate employed him as a threat. The man was currently towering over Sirius' short frame with his six feet and four inches. "Do you realise how long it took me to get that Essence? Do you understand the time I spent tracking that filthy beast so you could get a whiff of a bit of bloody parchment?!"

Sirius' lip curled in discomfort at the snarl on the other man's face. "What can I say? The job was hard. I'll get it done, I just need time."

Bellatrix patted her husband's arm, clearly at a loss for what to do to console someone – she wasn't often the calm one. "Sit down, love."

Rodolphus did, but his ire by no means abated. He looked toward Orion who stood silently watching from behind his high-backed chair, drink in hand. The younger man seemed to want to throw blame toward Orion for the mistake his son had made but a challenging arch of the elder man's eyebrow reminded Rodolphus of the danger he'd be in if he even tried. He turned back toward Sirius.

"You better have a good memory because I'm not getting you more Essence." He said with finality, crossing his arms and leaning back against the sofa with a huff.

It was Sirius' turn to roll his eyes. "No need to. I've got your precious Essence right here." He said, pulling a small envelope from his jacket pocket and throwing it to the grumpy man across from him.

Rodolphus snatched it out of the air, without taking his glare from Sirius.

The room was angrily silent for a moment as the two men continued to stare each other down, Orion watched on closely, Cygnus took a drag from his cigarette, entirely bored, whilst the children sat in a practiced silence.

Andromeda narrowed her eyes at the envelope in Rodolphus' hand. "Why exactly will the job take you longer, Sirius?" She asked with an exasperated sigh.

"Yes, good point." Rodolphus spoke out again, with a seemingly renewed anger. "Because I, for one, fail to fully understand how someone with your _precious_ little Gift can fuck up a job so royally?"

Sirius pursed his lips in annoyance. He directed his answer at Rodolphus. "It may have escaped your notice but my voice is actually quite irresistible," he started smugly, "and in order to secure a hook in a beast, you have to gain its trust from the start, as I'm sure you're fully aware of." He nodded in acknowledgment of Rodolphus' huntsmen skills. "The Voice has to be the first thing they hear from my mouth if they're to be lulled in, it sedates them." Sirius sighed and grit his teeth "But I… I fucked up. Before I could even get the second word in I dropped all my shit on the floor and lost the Voice. So now I have to start from the beginning again." He stormed, becoming increasingly angry as he spoke.

Bellatrix sighed. "You know what, I agree with Rodolphus. Sirius is a fucking idiot."

"Language, Bellatrix." Cygnus growled out.

She furrowed her eyebrows. "So literally anyone else in the room can swear but I can't?"

Everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath, including Bellatrix as soon as she realised what she had said and, more importantly, whom she had said it to. She chanced a look into her father's eye, fully aware that Cygnus could easily be the most dangerous Lord of the Blacks.

Cygnus said nothing, but he stared her straight in the eye and licked his lips, revealing pointed canines that were growing into fangs as he smiled threateningly.

Bellatrix looked down and visibly shrunk.

The room was tense for several moments.

Andromeda spoke up, quieter this time. "What's so hard about this job then?" Her voice seemed to settle the discomfort.

"The creature has control." Orion spoke up for the first time in what must have been days. Sirius silently wondered how his voice remained sullen and low instead of hoarse from disuse.

Rodolphus nodded in agreement, calmer now than before. "It's true," he said, "I tracked it for days, never once slipped up, never lost control, not until under the full moon. Then he was as beastly as any other mongrel but… I've never seen a creature so suppressed." He paused, "the Essence was very weak."

Sirius nodded absentmindedly.

Cygnus spoke up again. "It's time for us to go. It's been weeks since I've seen you Bellatrix, you'll stay the night." It wasn't a question and the woman winced at his tone.

Everyone made to get up, the meeting having unofficially adjourned. The others made their way downstairs and Sirius reached for the envelope from where Rodolphus held it out to him. The other man swiped it out of his grasp before Sirius could take it. "Don't fuck up this time." He said and Sirius could tell that he meant it. He took the parchment from Rodolphus and sent him an annoyed glare.

Bellatrix made to get up too, to follow her father down the stairs but Sirius stopped her for a moment in a crude attempt to prolong the inevitable punishment she was about to face for her earlier insolence.

He just needed to say something.

"How was Romania, Bella?"

A slow grin wound its venomous way back onto her face, her confidence coming back in full force.

"Delicious."

* * *

Another day, brighter than the last few, and Sirius found himself at the quaint little coffee shop. He idly thought that it didn't seem as quaint as last time, looking around at quite a number of more people than before, but he supposed he didn't mind. He pushed on the door.

This was a job, he told himself. That's all. So what if he stumbled and lost the Voice last time? So what if he dropped all of his fucking shit on the floor like an idiot? So what if his cheeks were reddening even now at the mere thought of having to function before this adorable tea-cosy of a man.

 _This was a job_ , he repeated. A quick kill just like that last few and he'd be four for four; Bella would be impressed. He shook his ebony mane, rolled back his shoulders and reveled in the knowledge that he was irresistible to the humans and, as his kill count had shown, the Beasts too.

The really _quite adorable_ beasts. Oh why did they have to be so adorable? Sirius might've been okay walking into the coffee shop if it hadn't have been for the floppy, honey curls on the barista's head. He might've stood a chance if it weren't for the spattering of freckles over that pretty nose.

He wasn't sure why this job made him so particularly nervous, but he did know that the fact that it did, only made him _more_ nervous. He wasn't used to this feeling: of uncertainty and unsure footing, and it certainly wasn't a welcome feeling.

His eyes met hazel and the Lycan smiled. "Ah, Sirius right?"

Sirius nodded, abashed. "My awkwardness that memorable, eh?"

Remus shrugged. "Only a bit," he laughed, "what can I get you?"

Sirius took his time perusing the menu board over Remus' head. _Ordering a coffee and leaving every day will not make this a quick kill_ , he thought. Sirius needed to talk to him. He needed to buy time from his family. "What does the barista recommend?" He asked.

"Well I'm always partial to a salted caramel latte." Remus said in mock solemnity.

Sirius smiled, "perfect."

In minutes they were exchanging silvers for drinks. Sirius looked behind him, finding no queue and decided to rest his elbows against the counter, taking a sip from his drink in what he knew was quite a seductive casualness.

Remus looked back up from the cash register. "Was there something else you'd like?"

He breathed out. "I'm gonna go ahead and say it: you're adorable and I'd really like to take you out. You have a break coming up?" Sirius asked, giving his best boyish charm smile.

Remus' cheeks coloured a bright red and he seemed relatively flustered. "Oh… uhh—sure! I mean, well… no actually. I don't have a break coming up, sorry."

Sirius' eyes widened and he looked toward his drink. Why was this rejection so damn harsh?

"But I'd like to go out. With you." Remus added quickly, a hopeful smile on his face.

Sirius' chest seemed to both tighten and fall apart at once. "Okay well if you have no break, can I stay here?" He asked, gesturing to where he was leaned up against the counter.

"I dunno," Remus said, smirking, "I am working."

Sirius scoffed, "if someone comes then I'll make myself scarce. How's that?" He suggested, his mouth opening in a boyish grin. "Besides I'm way more fun than the cash register."

Remus laughed and Sirius decided he loved the way his eyes lit up when he did. "Alright then, I suppose. But if you see a redhead, run. She'd kill me if she found me flirting on the job." He acquiesced.

Sirius found himself rather pleased that Remus was actively flirting with him and quickly stamped out the notion. "Your boss?" He asked, taking a sip of the latte.

Remus nodded. "She's a friend really, we're partners. But yes… yes she is entirely my boss." He chuckled, Sirius smiling along with him.

"I hear you there. My friend Jamie swore to me that the high school lacrosse team would be co-captained but I don't think I ever saw his mouth come off that whistle." He smiled fondly at the memory.

"You played lacrosse as a teen. Sounds very fancy." Remus said, leaning his forearms on the counter.

Sirius took another sip of his drink, feeling a pleasant warmth at the other man's body language. "All the fanciest private school posh boys play lacrosse." He said with a wink.

"Oh wow, a private school!" Remus laughed genuinely, "you just get better and better."

Sirius shrugged. "Yeah. Posh family and all that. We were all sent there. St. Godrics, all boys boarding school up in Scotland. It's a pretty great place, especially for a raging homosexual teen who wants to be as gay as he can whilst away from his religious parents."

Remus chuckled. "Catholic?"

"Buddhist actually. People seem to underestimate just how bigoted we Buddhists can get." Sirius said, shaking a finger.

Remus laughed aloud again and Sirius' heart melted.

* * *

Sirius and Remus spent more and more time with each other over the following weeks and each day in the golden boy's presence was one more day he had forgotten that _this was a job_. But their time together was more than flirty one liners and casual conversation. On October 20th Sirius found himself snorting, not laughing, _snorting_ at something Remus had said.

He'd almost forgotten entirely about the Voice and his Gift. He wasn't being a Black around Remus, just himself, and he was thoroughly enjoying it.

On Sunday he had dropped by the coffee shop again and Lily had acquiesced to Remus taking a 30 minute break from work in which they walked around the block to talk more deeply about themselves and each other. Remus had pinched a few pastries for them too.

"So that's not a London accent I hear… where are you from?" Sirius asked, curious about his adorable Lycan.

Remus started at the question about him, his instincts singing a bit louder. He thought for just a second and decided on stamping out those pesky feelings. Sirius was a lovely guy, and he'd only made Remus smile.

He grinned, "guess!"

Sirius chuckled, "okay… Definitely Midlands, not quite Black Country…"

"I should think not, I don't sound that awful!"

Sirius laughed again, "I'm gonna go Birmingham."

"Right you are!" Remus grinned at him. "Solihull."

"Oh cool, you move here with your parents or…?" He left the question hanging with a curious expression.

Remus shook his head, "no I moved here only 3 years ago. Dad lives back in Solihull still." He took a bite out of his cinnamon roll.

"Oh right, he and your mum still together?" Sirius asked around some brioche.

Remus took his time to finish chewing and swallowing his mouthful before he spoke. "No…" he blushed slightly and bit his cheek, "my mother passed away 9 years ago actually." He looked to his feet.

Sirius stopped walking and looked at him, "shit man, I'm so sorry—"

"No, no! It's fine honestly… well no it's not, it's pretty shit but like, you know…" he trailed off.

Sirius nodded, "can I ask what it was?"

"Car accident," Remus said, giving him a sad smile. He breathed it off, "but like, it's been years, you know? I miss her but it's not so crushing anymore, I guess."

Sirius nodded again and decided if Remus wanted to open up any further, he would. _Best not to pry_.

"So what about you? London born and raised?" Remus changed the tone, his expression light and a crooked smirk appearing on his face.

Sirius winked at him. "You know it baby!" He smiled, "my parents are Vietnamese but they moved over to England in the eighties for business."

"Oh wow," Remus exclaimed, "and do you go there often?"

Sirius inwardly cringed at the memory of his last trip to Vietnam with his parents, which resulted in the massacre of the entire clan of Northern Vampires. "Yeah… every so often. Visit the family."

"And are they as posh as their golden boy?" Remus chuckled.

Sirius barked a laugh, "posher!" Remus looked at him curiously so he continued. "My mother came back from afternoon tea with the Courtenays bitching about the Countess' hostess manners. They're mental the lot of them!"

Remus laughed heartily, "see I can tell you're posh, I don't even know who the Courtenays are!" He smiled, "I'm sure they're not nearly as bad as you say."

Sirius gave him a flat look, "my cousin stabbed her husband in the foot for saying that she isn't very maternal. She doesn't even want kids!"

Remus looked at him a little spooked "Oh wow. What did court think of that?"

"Oh no, they're still together," Sirius said, popping more brioche into his mouth.

Remus looked at him in a silent "what the fuck".

"I'm telling you." He cringed, "but you gotta love 'em…" Sirius said unconvincingly, looking to the cobbles beneath his feet.

Remus knew that look. "They give you a hard time?"

Sirius looked up at him and smiled sadly, "I'm the heir to my father's empire. Expectations and what not."

Remus nodded solemnly, "well let them expect things from you! Just come get a cappuccino and a brioche after, yeah?" He gave Sirius a warm smile.

Sirius returned it and nodded. He looked at his hands and very slowly reached out to slide his fingers into Remus'. Remus swallowed thickly and squeezed Sirius' hand, his warm smile growing warmer.

* * *

Sirius decided the birds in the trees had every right to sing their sweet song, to proclaim the skies a burden-free place of bliss. It was only fair, considering he was in a wonderful park surrounded by colourful plants and a beautiful man.

"You'd love Marlene. She's a real party girl, y'know? Always up for a good time." Remus chirped.

Sirius chuckled. "Is that me then? A party girl?"

"Maybe," Remus laughed, "but I'd like to find out for sure..."

Sirius almost choked on his own hope. "Are… are you inviting me to a party, Remus?"

Remus' cheeks coloured pink but he maintained composure otherwise. "Well see, Marlene and Dorcas, that is Marlene's girlfriend, are hosting one this Saturday. It's a 'bring a plus one' kind of thing and I'd like very much to for you to be my plus one?" He ended his sentence with an upward inflection as if to ask Sirius a questioned he hadn't yet formed.

Sirius beamed, caught himself, and cleared both his throat and his expression. "That sounds great. Saturday. It's a date."

Remus looked at him, smiled and nodded.

* * *

Sirius found himself in the arms of this devilishly charming Beast more and more often as Saturday approached. What was even more concerning was the fact that he hadn't thought of Remus as a Beast at all. Not anymore. He was just Remus: cute, fluffy, knitted, coffee-stained Remus and he was perfect. There was nothing dark or dangerous about him. He made Sirius' chest hurt in a delectable way every time they were near and his hair shone a wonderful golden hue of its own creation when the sun hit him. He was an angel, wolf or no.

But Sirius could hear his Father's voice in everything. The dripping of rain in a lonely alleyway warned him, the birdsong was foreboding, even the beating of Sirius' own heart was plagued with a morbid ambience despite the fact that it sang only Remus' name.

Sirius was in too deep and he knew it. And he ignored it. Cuddled close to Remus late in the evening, in his mismatch living room of wool and patchwork, watching Priscilla Queen of the Desert on Remus' shitty telly is where Sirius felt safe, where he felt at home. And Sirius would continue to ignore the warnings of his heart if it meant he could keep this just a little longer.

* * *

Soft, practised footsteps followed Sirius down the alleyway and it only took him a moment for his Gifted hearing to pick them up. He stopped and listened. The street was silent so he continued, pausing only to check his reflection in a boarded up window. Yes. He felt good enough to go find Remus once again.

He continued his slow meander down the alleyway, finding grey, cloud-filtered day light at the end. He took once step out of the alleyway before he felt a tug on the back of his collar and a yank that pulled him back into the shadows.

Lestrange. Of course it would be his face looking down at Sirius when he unexpectedly found himself in the darkness once again.

Rodolphus threw Sirius against the alley wall, the force sending Sirius' head backwards into the brick.

"What the fu—" Sirius was choked quiet by a hand around his throat. His gaze followed the arm to a smaller and shorter ginger man, who was by no means small or short. "Rabastan. Good to see you," Sirius rasped with a smirk, "you been working out?"

"Watch it, fuckwit." Rodolphus' drawled smoothly from the other side of the alley.

Sirius raised a brow. "That was mean and uncalled for and I really think name calling is—" his voice was silenced by Rabastan's hand tightening around his throat. "Could you please tell him to cut it?" Sirius rasped, trying to cough.

Rabastan dropped his hand from Sirius' throat at a short wave of Rodolphus' hand and Sirius finally filled his lungs with the oxygen taken from him. After a few deep breaths and clutching at his throat, Sirius looked between the brothers. Both men were over six foot tall, though Rodolphus exceeded his younger brother by fair few inches. Both men had long deep red hair, though Rodolphus' was longer and thicker, lying in a chunky plait down his back. Both men were dark, handsome, and threatening, though Rodolphus was darker, more handsome and far, far more threatening.

Sirius smirked at Rabastan. "Good to know he has you well trained." He sneered and Rodolphus intercepted a hard punch aimed at Sirius' head. Sirius flinched but chuckled at Rabastan's flared nostrils. "What do you want boys? I've got places to be and—"

"—and Beasts to kill." Rodolphus finished. "You have had almost a whole fucking month to finish this job, Sirius. What is taking so long?"

"Oh we're on a first name basis now? I'll be sure to let mother know. I feel as if I am being courted." Sirius answered wryly.

Rodolphus deadpanned him. "Don't make me cut you."

"Look," Sirius sighed, "I'm getting it done, alright? The Syndicate will have their teeth and you'll get your payment and that'll be that."

Rodolphus chuckled lowly. "You don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?"

"Time's up." Rodolphus said, his face a mask of apathy. "You're late. We're here to collect the fee."

* * *

Sirius' hands had been bound behind his back with leather thongs and chains. The Lestrange brothers had him by an arm each and shoved him through two dark, oak doors into the conference room of Black Estate.

He was pushed to his knees, hands still bound, and he looked up around him. He knelt on mahogany floors and ahead of him was a long table of sorts, seating thirteen proud and wealthy men. In the middle was his own father, Orion, eyes completely black, not making way for even the whites of his eyes. His Gifted eyes, the ones that shone when he was quickly losing control of his anger. They made him look demonic. His suit fit his frame perfectly and his hands were clasped on the table in front of him. He seemed calm and dangerous.

Either side of Orion Black, sat six of the Lords of the Syndicate, making up what was known to be the Council. Abraxas Malfoy, with blood dripping from the right corner of his mouth due to a fatal contracted disease from a Fey attack over twenty years before, sat on Orion's left. On his right, was Cygnus Black, looking amused and thoroughly interested in what was coming for Sirius. The Nott and Rosier and Gaunt and Crabbe and Goyle families and firms were all there, being represented by their respective patriarchs.

Other men and women of the Syndicate filled Sirius' view, including his cousins, his mother, his friends and even Regulus. Sweet Regulus. Sirius sighed.

"You've been called before the Council, Sirius Black," his father spoke, "I expect you know why."

Sirius opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by another Lord. "I think we all know why. He's a fucking waste." It was Jolie Rosier, one of the older Lords of the Council "I keep hearing all about his 'adept connection to the Gift' and all that bollocks but where are the results, hm?"

There was a murmur of agreement amongst the room and Sirius found himself quite alarmed and somewhat offended.

"What's his success rate?" Abraxas Malfoy asked, his voice low and drawling, bored with the whole ordeal or so it seemed.

An envelope seemed to appear from some unimportant hand at the side of the room and was passed along the table to Orion. With no visible pupils, the only indication to Orion's focus on the paper in front of him was the lowering of his lashes. His brow did not furrow. His lip did not purse. He was still and he was deadly.

"Ninety-eight percent of all jobs completed." Orion spoke lowly.

Abraxas wiped at his bloody chin with a monogramed handkerchief, used and stained slightly brown. "And? The full report?" The man said impatiently.

Sirius swallowed thickly as Orion said, "each job failed due to tardiness."

Cygnus seemed to think Sirius' whole ordeal was rather amusing and a feral grin lit up his face.

Rosier spoke up once again. "I did say, did I not?" He said, his French accent thick.

Another French accent joined him, younger slightly and much deeper, coming from a burly ginger man. "Hunters," Evander Lestrange grunted angrily. "My family has not provided the Syndicate with valuable information for centuries for it to be handed over to this kind of incompetency." He said, looking pointedly in Orion's direction. Orion said nothing but looked Sirius directly in the eyes, promising punishment. Lestrange followed his gaze to Sirius. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself, boy?"

Sirius' eyes widened and he stumbled over his words. "I can do it," he said, his voice high and croaky in fear. "Please, just give me time!"

Cygnus spoke for the first time, smug in his chair. "Is time not exactly what the Council gave you?"

Sirius stared, mouth agape. He slammed his jaw shut and breathed out slowly. He was getting angry. "Hang on! You gave me this job! I was a last resort because you couldn't find anyone to do it better. You can't get angry at me for failing to complete a job that you've been botching for just as long!" He fumed.

The room went silent, the breath in some of the Beasts he called family actually ceasing.

"Bellatrix," Sirius' father spoke. A head of immense black curls looked up from the side of the room. She walked forward, small and strong, to where Sirius knelt.

Orion looked down at her. "The job is yours. Dispose of the beast."

Mumbling broke out across the room as the occupants departed. The Council excusing themselves to their various arrangements, the room filled with tense noise as people vacated and Sirius was left on his knees, his mind working overtime.

They had delegated Bellatrix to finish Sirius' job. Bellatrix did not come home with Beast teeth, but Beast body parts, limbs and hearts and even once a poor Vampire's genitals. She does not kill. She destroys. Sirius could not let this happen!

"Wait! Father!" He yelled, standing. He felt his restraints cut from him and rubbed his wrists turning to his father as Orion came away from his dais. "Please! Just a bit more time, I can do it!" He pleaded. "Please, Fath—"

 _Smack._

Sirius' head was flung to the side and a burn ripped up his cheek in a wave of pain. His hand came up to his welting skin and he felt four bloody gashes marring his face. Once more, Orion had let his Gift slip but the man's claws did not retract back into his skin this time.

The large room now empty, save for his Wife and spare, Orion grabbed his heir by the jaw and brought Sirius' face level with his own. "You will get nothing!" Orion said forcefully in a lethally quiet voice. "You have embarrassed your mother and I. You have marred the Black name. I won't allow it to continue." Orion's claws sunk further into Sirius' skin as he spoke and Sirius was left gasping.

Orion dropped his son to the floor and quickly left the room, Walburga trotting after him quickly looking thoroughly alarmed, dragging young Regulus along with her.

Sirius caught himself, gasping on hands and knees, eyes wide and staring straight at the floor, seeing only the horrors of his mistake swimming in the wood grain before him. His hands came up to his throat and chin and he felt the holes in his skin, oozing thick red blood. His fingers rubbed tenderly at the wounds as they knitted back together slowly and painfully.

As he regained his breath, Sirius slowly stumbled to his knees and eventually to his feet.

He felt lost. What the fuck was he supposed to do now? _Bella is going to kill Remus_. She did not just do her job. She revelled in it, bathed in her victims' blood, bonus points for being able to wear them in some way afterward. _Fuck._ How could he have been so stupid?

He took a step forward. And another, and another, walking blindly towards the door thinking of only the untold horrors to come.

Not a second longer had he passed the doors was his collar yanked and dragged to the left, and his body pressed against something warm and soft and… breasts?

"Siri I…" Bellatrix whispered and stopped. Her hands gripped his head tighter and pressed him closer into her hug. She was surprisingly comforting and Sirius was thoroughly alarmed. She pulled him back away from her and held him by the shoulders at arm's length. "I'm sorry."

He bit his lip to stop himself from crying in the large and silent atrium, his eyes pooling heavily. He took a deep shuddering breath and swallowed his fear and anguish, his eyes leveling on a deep and deadened stare. "I'm done. I fucked up so bad and I'm done."

Bella's own eyes glazed over with her tears. "Hey now," she said, her tone gentle, "darling listen to me—"

"No you listen!" Sirius shouted at her and threw her hands from his frame angrily. "It's fucking over, Bella! I dragged this out too long! He doesn't deserve this… this treatment, this death! He doesn't deserve what I've done to him. I brought this on him and now he's going to die and there's fuck all I can do about it!" He grit his teeth in rage and looked at her with contempt.

"Don't you go blaming us for this. You didn't make him a Beast! He would have died whether or not you knew him, he was already on our list." She seemed genuinely level-headed for once, looking to him for some clarity. "It's not our fault he's a Beast. It's not your fault, Siri."

"Don't call him that!" He spat at her, the fury clear on his face. He stalked over to her slowly. "You don't get it Bella, do you? But then you wouldn't," he scoffed, "because you're a sick fuck like the rest of them. I'm tired of it: of this life, of the things we're doing! Aren't you tired?" He saw her eyes widen slightly and she was more alert as he backed her into the wall. A new sense of power and life came into his eyes. "I won't let you do it. I won't let you hurt him." He bared his teeth at her and, whilst they were still small and human, she could tell he was entirely prepared to fight her.

"You're talking crazy now, Siri. You don't have a choice! Don't you realise? You never had a choice, you can't save him now, no one can! It's not your fault he has to die, it's just a fact of life. Just the way it is, and the sooner you realise that, the better."

His hand moved up quickly to slap her for her words but she shoved him backward harshly, her own anger starting to bubble up inside. But she wasn't angry at Sirius, her rage boiled much too deep for that. She was angry at her life, her existence, her father and her family. "You know what though, Siri? It _is_ your fault that this happened. It's your fault you let it get this far, it's your fault you lost the Voice and that any of this is a problem in the first place, because you know what, _Siri_? You've already disposed of this boy a hundred times before. This very same boy has bled out his life in your throat before, the only difference is this time you got to know him. He's no less deserving of this than the rest of them." She smiled at him vengefully.

He stuck his jaw out in anger at her but stayed silent, knowing ultimately that she was right. "You're wrong." Sirius was a stubborn man.

"No, I'm not." She looked at him seriously now. "This is going to happen. Deal with it."

He scoffed at her, "you know, it doesn't surprise me at all that you'd be okay with this. You're a fucking sadist like the rest of them! You're the fucking Beast, you gross sick cunt." He made a face at her as if repulsed by her presence. "Look at yourself, Bella." He looked her up and down as if to shame her. "We're not the same, you and me. You've always been twisted. I never asked for any part in this!"

"And you think I did?!" She looked at him incredulously, her eyes desperate and hurt. She took a step back from him, wounded like a baby deer at his words.

She moved away from him, looking to her feet and sighing her defeat, before sliding down the wall to sit on the floor and bringing her arms around herself like a child. "I never _wanted_ this. I never wanted to live in a circus, to be a born assassin." Her tears fell freely now and her voice croaked with her dejectedness. "I never asked to be Daddy's star pupil," she smiled sadly, "never asked to be _Daddy's_." She sniffled and exhaled slowly. "I never wanted to do the things I do and I never wanted to like it… oh, Sirius, what'll we do?"

Sirius looked down at his cousin angrily. "Look at us, we're fucking disgusting. Vile murderers, Bella! Murderers! And for what? For _purity?_ " He spat the word sardonically with a cynical smirk on his face making her flinch. "Honour? For some sick, sadistic play on power."

She rolled her head on the wall and looked up at him through her heavy lids and tear-clumped mascara. "No. We do it for us. We didn't ask for this but it's what we've got. You and I both know that it's them or us, kill or be killed. We do this for us, to survive. I'm not about to see you give up on that." She said, her voice sober and heart hollow with harsh realisation.

Sirius came to sit beside her gently, listening to a voice within this woman that he'd never heard before. He knew it all now. He knew it all before too but now, broken and raw, the truth never felt so plain nor did it feel so sharp. Sirius huddled a little closer to Bellatrix. "What are we going to do?"

She leaned her head into his shoulder. "What we've always done."

He nodded solemnly, "and how long will you give me?"

"Give you?" She looked at him suspiciously. "Sirius no, you're not going to fake your death and go into hiding with him—"

"No, no." He said, softly. "I just want to buy him some time. He's smart. If I can warn him then maybe he'll manage to get off the grid in time to make it."

She stared at him for a long time, weighing up what he was suggesting. Even he could admit that what he was asking her to consider was treason for the both of them. What was more is that it may not even be worth the risk; the Syndicate had tracked Remus down once, they could do it again.

Bellatrix stared ahead in thought. "And you're just going to warn him?"

"Just a warning." He said, "you'll have me back here, I promise." And he meant it.

Bellatrix worried her lip with her canines before nodding. "Alright, as long as you also promise that this never happens again." She looked to him in earnest, her calm, watery eyes boring into him.

"Family first, promise."

"No Sirius," she shook her head. "You first."

He chewed his lower lip to bite back his emotion and nodded, "Sirius first." He whispered. He leaned into her then, resting his cheek on her breasts and she held him close, petting his hair as he silently cried.

* * *

Sirius rapped his knuckles on the varnished wood of Remus' apartment door and pulled his leather jacket around him. The door opened and there the boy was: hair still golden, eyes still honeyed, smile still warm. Sirius smiled despite himself but quickly pushed past Remus to sit on the worn, moth-eaten sofa.

"You okay?" Remus asked, looking at his watch. "It's like nine thirty now, though Marl's parties do run pre—" Remus stopped at the positively green look on Sirius' face. "Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing… er well no. There is something." He looked to his hands, worrying the zip of his jacket between his fingers.

Remus looked at him, obviously concerned. He slowly walked toward the sofa and sat down beside Sirius. "What's going on?"

Sirius looked up toward him, his eyes shining with thick tears. His bottom lip trembled and Remus' heart melted. He brought Sirius into his arms and rocked him slowly, stroking his back and shushing Sirius' shaking and sniffling. Sirius pulled back and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. Remus looked at him and cocked an eyebrow questioningly.

Sirius breathed out to steady himself. "It's… fuck I'm so sorry Remus. It's my family." His eyes swam with fresh tears. "We… I know. I know, Remus, about your… affliction."

Those warning lights in the back of Remus' mind reared their heads again and panic took hold of him. "W-what do you mean?" He stumbled over his words.

"It's okay. I know but Remus, it's okay. You're a Lycan, but it's alright!"

"Oh god." Remus held his stomach in his hands, feeling as if he were about to vomit up his panic onto the floor. "How did you know?"

"Doesn't matter right now. Thing is, well…" Sirius struggled to do this. He knew what he was about to say was going to end this forever. This lovely, beautiful boy gone from his life. "I'm Gifted too." At the look of confusion on Remus' face, Sirius continued. "I've got a Gift. I'm like you, but I'm different. I'm bad."

Remus could feel his heart pounding and he wasn't sure why. Here was the man he loved, telling him that he was okay with Remus' mutations. He was okay with the literal demons within and yet something didn't seem right. He could feel danger in the air and it put him on edge. "What Gift? Sirius, what are you talking about?"

Sirius looked down at his hands for a long time. He watched the lines in his soft skin, small hairs on his knuckles pushed back ever so slightly with the force of his breath. He steeled himself and turned back to Remus, eyes completely dry and face completely calm. "I can sing, Remus."

Remus looked at him with wide eyes, thoroughly confused. "I'm… not so sure I understand. You can sing?" He said slowly, as if talking to a man gone mad.

Sirius nodded his head. "I'm very good at it."

Remus was distantly aware of the threat in his surroundings but his mind was too preoccupied with how crazy Sirius was acting right now. Remus silently wondered if he was on something, _wouldn't be unlike him I suppose._ He stared into the deadly calm look in Sirius' eye, "you're scaring me, Sirius."

Sirius said nothing, just raised his hand to Remus' cheek, softly tracing a thumb under his eye. Then Sirius opened his mouth and started to sing.

He was right. Remus had never heard anything more beautiful. It was an inhuman sound that licked its way out of Sirius' mouth like flame. It was a voice Remus didn't recognise and, like flame, it was laced with heat and danger. His pitch dipped and curled back like a snake, only Remus was the one being charmed. Unaware that his pupils had dilated almost entirely, Remus' whole body chilled and calmed.

The soft tendrils of Sirius' song danced over to him, surrounding him and intoxicating him in a foreign, inhuman language. He was mesmerised, poisoned by the tranquility of it all.

Everything else dimmed and there was only Sirius now and that _mercifully sweet_ _song._ Remus felt as though he were underwater, engulfed in the iciness of Sirius' voice – everything so quiet and far away and peaceful. But being underwater too long would drown him. He was being drowned. The song wrapped Remus up, making him pant and gasp. He licked his lips and felt his lupine fangs and didn't it feel _oh so good_ to be lupine now.

The song was pulling on the wolf, tugging at his body to change and his body was responding – his mind entirely numb to the world. Sirius sung higher and icy needles stuck into Remus' skin, picking at his fur and pulling it out of each follicle like thread. As his body transformed, Remus floated in the siren song.

Vaguely he heard the horns of warning, the shouts and screams in his body, his wolf telling him to flee and to run, and something deep within his stomach realised that Sirius had been that warning all along. But what did it matter? Sirius continued to sing his song of dust and blood. Remus smelt gasoline in the air as if destruction herself was leaking out of Sirius' throat.

The Beast closed his mouth but the song still stuck in Remus' ears, not allowing him to move as Sirius moved forward and gently blushed his lips to Remus'. Their kiss was gentle like his song and Remus pushed forward, eagerly slipping his tongue into Sirius' mouth to taste him. Remus was more wolf than man now and he lapped like a dog at Sirius' teeth and tongue, but something decidedly bestial in Sirius wasn't disgusted.

Sirius moved his lips away, trailing Remus' mouth and jaw with hot, open kisses. He licked and sucked a path down Remus' now-furry neck, coming to stop at the juncture where his shoulder met his throat. He sucked there and Remus let out a long, sultry growl.

Sirius' hands shook as they held Remus up against him. He held his breath, as if one exhale would push him off the precipice.

 _Run_ , the song sang to Remus. _Run now._

Sirius closed his eyes and bit his lip over Remus' shoulder to stifle the sob that came from his throat. Tears leaked out between his lashes, hot and acidic.

 _Run._

Sirius inhaled to steady his breath and opened his eyes. The whites of them were missing, a demonic black had melted them away, shining in the yellowish light of the second-floor apartment.

He turned and bit into Remus' throat, fangs and claw tearing his neck open. Blood hit his face and he licked it clean, drinking and eating into the animal under him. Batting hands punched at the sides of Sirius' head and a thick, visceral growl filled the room as the Beast ate the Lycan, the poor boy trying to survive.

When lengthened talons ripped open the chest of the carcass, the wolf stilled and wilted and the Beast ate the flesh inside. Tooth grinding on tendons, claws tearing out ribs and slicing lung. Sirius gorged himself on Remus' heart, growling and tearing into the flesh. Dark un-oxygenated blood poured from his mouth and down his neck and chest, a rich bright red spurt of it hit the ceiling and Sirius snapped at the stream like a dog with a hose. Sirius ate the flash skewered on his talons and ripped the warm heart from the cage. The human heart. He took no notice and feasted on it, tearing into it and shoving as much of the flesh into his mouth as he could.

He finally sat back, chest heaving with adrenaline. The blood continued to grow in a pool beneath the wolf's body. _Remus'_ body.

Crimson stains slowly gathered at the ends of his talons and dripped like treacle to the floor at his sides. Blood flew from his spit each time he exhaled, his senses slowly returning to him.

He looked at the purplish red mess in front of him and promptly vomited all over the floor.

"Shh." He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up at Bellatrix standing over him. She knelt down beside him, pulling the hair out of his face and rubbing his back as he wretched. "That's it Siri, get it all up. That's better."

She pulled out a tissue from the sleeve of her jacket and wiped the blood and bile from his mouth. She grimaced when she realised she was cleaning the lip of a man entirely covered in blood.

She looked back up at his face, his eyes still hollow and black, tears streaming from them and mixing with the crimson in a twisted cocktail. She held his bloodied cheeks and sighed softly. "You did the right thing."

He blinked slowly, "no I didn't." His voice, so beautiful and dangerous just a moment ago, was weak and hoarse, drained of life like the body before him.

She didn't protest his words; she understood. Bellatrix pressed her lips to her cousin's forehead before gathering him up onto his unsteady feet. Sirius closed his eyes as another wave of nausea passed over him. Bellatrix bent back down to her knees, studying the remains closely. He was a handsome boy. _With handsome blood,_ she mused to herself.

She huffed, not really having any care for the Creature, and started pulling on the thick wolfish canines, using her own claws to rip them out of the thing's skull with a wet snap.

She stood once more and wrapped an arm around Sirius' shoulders. "C'mon, darling. Time to go home."

He nodded, staring blankly ahead of him. She walked him to the door, pocketing the teeth as she went. Sirius' eyes bled white once again: human. His talons and fangs retracted into his body and his beauty graced his features. But the blood did not disappear from his skin, nor his tongue. He knew it never would.

 ** _When I was a man I thought it ended_**

 ** _When I knew love's perfect ache_**

 ** _But my peace has always depended_**

 ** _On all the ashes in my wake_**


End file.
